“The document envisages special terms which are aimed at the efficient use of budgetary funds while conducting the works at this part of the state border which is equal to 1084.2 km. The decree eases some demarcation procedures, which will help reduce the timeframe and the cost of the works,” the comment to the decree reads.

The document also stresses that adoption of the decree had been caused by the necessity to implement Part 3 of the Belarus-Ukraine Border Treaty as of 12 May 1997.

We remind that the Belarus-Ukraine Treaty on the state border was signed on May 12, 1997. The document was ratified by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on July 18 of the same year, but was not ratified by the “national assembly” of Belarus.

Earlier the Belarusian side directly linked the issue of the state border treaty ratification with Ukraine’s repayment of the debt, which according to different estimates is from $80 mln to $150 mln. At the same time, there is no documentary proof of the debt sum, which emerged since the beginning of the 1990ies. The Belarusian side claims that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarusian enterprises transferred money to Ukrainian ones for the goods which had been produced, but not delivered. In its turn, Ukraine stated that this debt is not considered a state one.

Not until May 18, 2013 in Kyiv in presence of Yanukovych and Lukashenka a protocol on exchange of ratifications of the treaty on the state border as of May 12, 1997 was signed between Belarus and Ukraine.

The agreements of Minsk and Kyiv envisage several compensatory schemes. Firstly, active participation in the military and technical cooperation sphere is planned, which is to widen the market for Ukrainian and Belarusian special goods. Deliveries of spare parts are expected from Ukrainian enterprises, firstly for the air defense. And larger schemes, going far beyond the limits of the bilateral cooperation, are expected from Ukrspetsexport.

Secondly, as before, deliveries of discounted energy are expected to Belarus, which makes it possible to re-export it later. The problem of overproduction of energy was even raised at the latest session of the Ukrainian government. Thirdly, Kyiv offers discounted transportation rates for Minsk. And fourthly, deliveries of Belarusian tractors and combine harvesters are expected in Ukraine.